Domestic violence report details work, challenges
Progress made even as pandemic slowed initiatives
A city-county collaborative focused on reducing domestic violence in Bexar County launched about 10 initiatives in its first year, including a pilot program to identify victims most at risk of being killed, according to a one-year report released Monday.
But it wasn't an easy feat — and there's still much to do, officials said.
“Many of the initiatives we planned to work on were impacted by the pandemic,” said Jenny Hixon, violence prevention manager at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. “We needed to figure out how to pivot.”
Unveiled in July 2019, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence brought together judges, prosecutors, policymakers and leaders in the health care, law enforcement and nonprofit fields to address an alarming spike in fatalities.
The year prior, at least 32 people died because of domestic violence in Bexar County, many of them women slain by their intimate partners, such as husbands or boyfriends, according to data collected by the San Antonio Express-news.
Statistics on fatalities differ, depending on the source, because of various ways deaths are tracked and defined.
In its first year, the commission had planned to help develop a protective order program to provide legal services to victims at no charge.
Issued by a judge, a protective order requires an alleged abuser to stay away from the applicant or face criminal charges. Such an order also can be granted in cases of human trafficking, sexual assault and stalking.
The commission also hoped to introduce a media campaign focused on violence prevention, develop a schoolbased program on dating violence and establish the “highrisk team” to identify victims most at risk of being killed.
Hixon, a member of the collaborative, said the commission achieved most of its goals in 2020 — though not all.
For example, the commission secured funding from University Health to develop a domestic violence referral line managed by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, or STRAC. However, the phone lines aren't up and running yet, as planned.
Hixon said it was difficult to launch all the initiatives as originally planned because many commission members were busy.
“Everyone was deployed in some ways to address the pandemic,” she said. “That was a true challenge.”
Still, the collaborative com
mission was happy with its progress.
“I was really impressed with the collaborative commission’s ability to continue to meet,” said Patricia Castillo, executive director of the P.E.A.C.E Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy group.
“We recognize that this is a long-haul commitment and that it’s going to take years to accomplish what we want to accomplish,” said Castillo, who co-chairs the commission’s nonprofit subcommittee.
Hixon said another challenge was balancing longterm changes and immediate needs.
“What we’re trying to do is taking a prevention approach,” Hixon said. “It’s very hard to take that approach while simultaneously addressing the needs of victims and survivors now. You can’t make substantive change without doing both.”
The report comes nearly two years after City Council members Shirley Gonzales and Manny Peláez suggested increasing funding and developing a comprehensive plan to address family violence fatalities.
Hixon directed the city effort by talking to dozens of experts, victims, community leaders and service providers. The city unveiled a five-year plan that year identifying ways to improve services across the system.
About the same time, Judge Peter Sakai of the 225th District Court established the collaborative commission. Its work will continue indefinitely, said 150th District Court Judge Monique Diaz, who helps lead the initiative.
Moving forward, the commission has identified several ways to improve its work.
It has suggested including elected officials and staff members from organizations on each subcommittee, allowing the staff to help carry out some of the subcommittees’ work.
It also recommended that leaders have “transparent conversations” about funding to prevent “unintentional competition.” Late last year, members of the commission clashed over how to spend a pot of money that initially was set aside for the creation of a civil family violence court before eventually coming to a compromise.
Castillo said she has high hopes for the commission, especially as local coronavirus infections continue to decrease.